Wireless networks are telecommunications networks that use radio waves to carry information between nodes in the network. Cellular telephony is characterized by the use of radio cells that provide radio coverage for a geographic area, with multiple cells arranged to provide contiguous radio coverage over a larger area. Wired communication can also be used in portions of a wireless network, such as between cells or access points. The wireless networks allow mobile devices to move and change locations, while maintaining a connection with the network. This connection allows information to be sent and received with the mobile devices communicating with the wireless network.
These traditional voice telephony and more recent electronic private communications methods have shared a common limiting characteristic: their effectiveness has been limited to communication between known parties or among known, fixed endpoints. That is, a person that wants to communicate with another needs to know information such as a telephone number, email address, or other information in order to initiate communication with that person. Internet bulletin boards, chat rooms, blogs and micro-blogs have enabled a broader reach through more public postings, but lack the capability to direct private communications to certain individuals or groups, such as (i) observed but unknown people; (ii) people at a designated location or locale; and (iii) groups of unknown people with identified attributes.
These historic communications methods and more recent Internet-based and GPS-based applications are based on the premise that directed private communications are only possible or feasible between, among and to known fixed endpoints. Social networking and other recent interactive media are also limited by their inability to provide a means in real-time to bring such people together in person.